Ukraine War December 3: Russia breaks through north of Avdiivka, Stepovoe stronghold collapses

The war in Ukraine is entering a new phase, becoming increasingly fierce (Photo: Sky News).

Russia takes control of Stepove north of Avdiivka

According to Geroman channel, on the northern slope of Avdiivka, as of the evening of December 2, Russian forces finally took full control of the settlement of Stepovoe (Petrovskoye). The cleanup and sweep operation is underway.

Currently, fighting is underway in the direction of Novokalinovo, Severnoe, Tonenkoe and the vicinity of the Avdiivka coal and chemical plant. In addition, Moscow forces have gradually expanded the zone of control near the village of Stepovoe. The northern pincers are tightening on Kiev forces.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian command is transferring new forces from the Orekhov region to reinforce Krasnogorovka.

Ukrainian forces in Marinka in danger

As reported earlier, yesterday's reports of Russia's near-total control of Marinka made the risk of Ukraine's fall increasingly clear.

Moscow forces have in fact taken control of some streets in the far southwest of the city, but Ukraine is still holding out and still has a presence in some houses on the northwestern outskirts of the city. However, with the pressure mounting, a complete withdrawal of Kiev forces is entirely predictable.

Earlier, the Russian 103rd Regiment said that the city of Marinka in Donetsk was almost under the control of Moscow forces. Once this city was captured, Russia could build a strong base in the area of ​​​​lakes west of Marinka and create many potential attack points, all directions.

In the coming time, Ukraine may have to deal with this Russian attack again while its forces are stretched thin on all fronts.

Map of the Ukrainian war in the Marinka region as of December 2 (Photo: Geroman).

ISW: Weather conditions slow the pace of fighting in Ukraine

Ukrainska Pravda reported that a report by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on December 2 said that adverse weather conditions continued to slow down combat operations on both sides.

As analysts note, bad weather conditions continue to slow down the pace of Ukrainian and Russian military operations along the entire front line, but do not stop them completely.

The representative of the Ukrainian army, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Fityo, said that the Russian army actively uses air power in the direction of Bakhmut when the weather permits.

He added that the weather did not significantly affect Russian artillery fire in the direction of Bakhmut.

Additionally, Russian military bloggers claimed on December 1 that strong winds near Bakhmut and in the western Zaporizhia region had prevented the Russian military from using UAVs and artillery over the past two days. One of the bloggers claimed that while light rain had allowed the Russian military to conduct airstrikes and reconnaissance near Verbovoye (9 km east of Robotino), the muddy terrain made it difficult for infantry and wheeled vehicles to advance into western Zaporizhia.

He added that the Russian army could only move on tracked vehicles and the Ukrainian army continued to fire heavily despite bad weather conditions in the area.

Reuters: Ukrainian forces in Marinka have not completely collapsed

Control of Marinka, a city in eastern Ukraine that has been devastated by more than a year of fighting, remained uncertain as of Friday, December 1, although unofficial reports suggested Russian forces had made some significant advances.

Most reports from Marinka, southwest of the Russian-held Donetsk region, describe it as a ghost town with Ukrainian forces still holding out in some positions, Reuters reported.

The Ukrainian General Staff said in its evening report on December 2 that Russian forces had unsuccessfully attempted to enter villages near Marinka, but did not mention troop movements in the city.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not mention this Marinka in its reports.

Unofficial Russian blogger Rybar pointed to a photo circulating on social media showing Russian forces raising the national flag in the southwest of the town. They said Ukrainian forces still controlled other districts.

"However, if the information about the movement of Russian troops south is correct, then Ukraine's withdrawal is inevitable and will happen very soon," Rybar said.

Ukrainian social media accounts noted Russian advances but quoted soldiers denying that Moscow's troops were in full control of the city.

Ukraine seeks to strengthen defenses

Ukraine is looking to strengthen fortifications against Russian forces along the front, except for one area in the south, the Guardian reported, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Statements over the past few days by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny indicate the areas where Kiev will focus its defensive efforts.

Mr Zelensky said on 30 November that his army would strengthen its defences along the Kupyansk-Lyma line in northern and western Ukraine, as well as Kherson further south. He also added the importance of defences in the Avdiivka and Marinka directions in Donetsk.

This is consistent with General Zaluzhny's statement about his conversation with the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown. Mr. Zaluzhny said on Telegram that Ukraine is "causing significant losses of manpower and equipment to the enemy, as well as exhausting them along the entire front line."

ISW said the two leaders' comments on Ukraine's defensive activities on the border of Kharkiv-Luhansk region, as well as Donetsk and Kherson regions, were notable for not mentioning Zaporizhia region. This shows that "Ukrainian forces have not yet taken a defensive position in this area."

Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for comment.

An ISW ​​map shows that in Zaporizhia, Ukrainian forces maintained their positions southwest of the village of Staromaiorske. Another information shows that, in the battle for Bakhmut, Russian troops captured the settlement of Khromove and advanced near Klishchiivka on November 29.

The institute added that Russian forces have been trying to regain the initiative at the battlefield level in Ukraine since at least mid-November through “simultaneous offensive operations in areas where Ukrainian forces have shifted to primarily defensive action.”

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his military chiefs on December 1 that Russian troops were conducting “active defense” in eastern Ukraine, where they were gaining positions.

However, ISW believes that Mr. Shoigu made such statements to manage public expectations and that it shows that Russia has not made any major progress.

Meanwhile, Zelensky told the AP news agency that he expected Russia to continue a fierce air campaign, similar to last year, attacking key civilian infrastructure.

He added that this year's counter-offensive did not yield the results many expected because "we did not have all the weapons we wanted."

Map of the war in Ukraine as of December 2 (Photo: ISW)

Ukraine announces latest Russian losses

Ukrainska Pravda reported that the General Staff released its latest report stating that on December 2, Ukraine eliminated from the battle another 930 Russian soldiers, 11 armored vehicles and 8 artillery systems.

According to the General Staff of Ukraine, the total Russian losses from 24/02/22 to 03/12 were approximately: 332,040 (+930) people, 5,575 (+4) tanks, 10,396 (+11) armored fighting vehicles, 7,949 (+8) artillery pieces, 913 (+0) multiple rocket launchers, 602 (+0) air defense systems, 323 (+0) aircraft, 324 (+0) helicopters, 5,995 (+1) UAVs, 1,569 (+1 cruise missiles), 22 (+0) ships/boats, 1 (+0) submarine, 10,432 (+22) cars and fuel tankers, 1140 (+2) special military vehicles.

In the past 24 hours, there have been 88 clashes on all fronts.

Ukrainska Pravda reported that the morning report of December 3 of the General Staff of Ukraine said that in the past 24 hours, 88 clashes between the two sides took place.

In total, Russia launched three missiles, carried out 20 air strikes and 53 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on Ukrainian military positions.

In the direction of Kupyansk , Russia attacked in the areas of Sinkovka, northeast of Petropavlovka, Ivanovka, Kharkov region and Stelmakhovka, Luhansk region, where the defense forces repelled 7 attacks.

In the direction of Liman , the enemy unsuccessfully attacked the Serebryansky forestry district in the Lugansk region, where Ukraine repelled four attacks.

In the direction of Bakhmut , Russia attacked the Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky, Andriivka and Kleshchiivka areas of the Donetsk region, where Ukrainian defenders repelled 21 attacks.

Ukrainian forces continue offensive operations south of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, inflicting losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment, and consolidating positions on the achieved lines.

In the direction of Avdiivka, with the support of the air force, Russia did not give up attempts to surround Avdiivka, but Ukrainian soldiers resolutely defended, causing significant losses to the enemy.

Russian offensive operations were unsuccessful in the areas east of Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy, Avdiivka, Severny, south of Tonenky, Pervomaisky of the Donetsk region, where the defense forces repelled 25 attacks.

In the Marinka direction, the enemy unsuccessfully attacked in the Marinka and Novomikhailovka areas of the Donetsk region, where Ukraine repelled 11 attacks.

At the same time, Ukraine continued to conduct an offensive operation in the direction of Melitopol, causing losses in manpower and equipment to the enemy, and exhausting Russia on the entire front line.

Su-34 fighter bomber of the Russian Air Force (Photo: The Drive).

More than 5,000 explosive devices were removed by Ukraine last week

Ukrainian experts cleared 5,321 explosive devices from more than 431 hectares of land and 71 roads over the past week, the Armed Forces Command said on December 2, Kyiv Independent reported.

Since the start of the conflict, experts have defused more than 150,000 explosive devices across Ukraine, including in territories recaptured from Russian forces.

According to Ukrainian officials, nearly a third of the country's territory has been mined since the outbreak of hostilities.

Ukrainian Air Force shot down 10 Russian UAVs

Kyiv Independent reported that the Ukrainian Air Force said on December 3 that its forces had shot down 10 of 12 Russian Shahed-136/131 UAVs. These UAVs were launched from around the Russian port city of Primorsko-Akhtarsk in southern Krasnodar Krai.

According to the Ukrainian military, at least one Kh-59 cruise missile was launched from the Belgorod region.

The UAVs entered Ukrainian airspace through the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. Most of them were shot down by southern defense forces in Mykolaiv region, the rest were intercepted in the Starokostiantyniv district of Khmelnytskyi region, western Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Air Force added that the Russian Kh-59 missile failed to reach its target.

According to Reuters, AP, Newsweek, Guardian, Kyiv Independent, Ukrainska Pravda, Rybar, Geroman

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/chien-su-ukraine-312-nga-dot-thung-bac-avdiivka-cu-diem-stepovoe-sup-do-20231203135013050.htm